Bird to miss Broncos’ start
JACK Bird will miss the start of the 2018 NRL season after the star Broncos recruit had shoulder surgery yesterday.
The 22-year-old NSW Origin representative finalised his move to Brisbane this week and Broncos medical staff opted for him to go straight under the knife.
Bird dislocated his shoulder in Cronulla’s Round 22 loss to Canberra and returned in the first week of the finals as the Sharks were knocked out by North Queensland.
His shoulder was not strong enough to cope with a full NRL season and Broncos high performance manager Jeremy Hickmans said Bird would miss the start of 2018.
“We got him up in the last couple of weeks to check him out and he does need surgery. He will get that done this week,’’ Hickmans said.
“It’s a version of a reconstruction so he will be out for a few months. Once we get in there we will have a better idea.
“His return will be right on the verge of the season.”